Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android is getting several new animations as part of its Material 3 Expressive revamp.
- Google has started testing one of the upcoming animations in the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta release.
- It appears as a black overlay that expands from the screen borders when you long-press the power button.
In addition to refreshed UI elements, Android’s new Material 3 Expressive design language is set to introduce some slick new animations. We gave you an early look at these animations last month, and Google has now started testing the new power button long-press animation in the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta release.
Google rolled out Android 16 QPR1 beta 2 last week alongside the stable Android 16 update for its Pixel devices. In addition to significant changes, such as a desktop mode, desktop windowing for tablets, custom keyboard shortcuts, and taskbar overflow, the update introduces the new squeeze animation that appears when you long-press the power button to summon the voice assistant.
As shown previously, it appears as a black overlay that expands inwards from the screen borders and disappears just before the assistant overlay pops up. You can see it in action in the attached video (via A_Button117 on Discord). This new animation will likely reach users with Android 16 QPR1, which is expected to arrive shortly after Google unveils the new Pixel 10 lineup.
